Full Metal Panic  Versions of Violence
by Madhouse Cabaret
Summary: Eleven year old Nhean never asked to be thrown into this lifestyle but he's stuck none the less. As he grows bored with his day to day routine soon new opportunities open up to him. Showcasing FMP's most notorious villain this is an in-depth prequel.
1. Chapter 1

Jungles of Cambodia

December 24, 1974

12:12pm South-East Asia UTC

** Chapter One - Den of Tigers**

The air was disgustingly thick with the scent of blood, gun powder, and the dying in the heat of the jungle air. Guns were heard firing off not too far from where a good lot of soldiers stood guard; their guns constantly at the ready. A few feet away down a small slope was a spot specially sanctioned off for the disposal of the dead; prisoners or their own. The Khmer Rouge were a nasty lot and Pol-Pot was a name to be feared just as much during this troubling time. Cambodia was riddled with issues right now and their Vietnamese neighbors were adding tremendously to the growing problem. Grenade explosions alerted some of the men as a few moved away from the slope and disappeared in the thick of the trees. Sitting by a large hole that was ten feet wide and twelve feet deep was an eleven year old boy propped against a tree. His clothes were a bit ragged and torn but it was to be expected when out in conditions such as these for very long. Liver brown eyes were gazing at the bushes a small rifle propped in his lap with his finger near the trigger. Twice this week tigers had made their prowl following the scent of food and attacked four men. It was this young boy's job to keep an eye out for the local wildlife amongst other duties that were less desirable. So far all the boy could note was that these radicals were not fans of 'free-thinking' in the very least; you were either a socialist or dead. When brought to this place the child understood this was survival so he didn't fight the system.

"Nhean pay closer attention you cannot space out." A man's gruff voice snapped his thoughts back and he turned looking over.

"I am paying close attention so I don't fail to see the tiger." Nhean answered without much inflection in hi s voice. The man jeered and walked away and a moment later bodies were brought down the hill to be disposed of. Nhean stood and slung the rifle over his shoulder taking careful consideration of how he would line up this procession of corpses. Kneeling down he looted through one man's things and started to take whatever looked valuable. This was very important because anything worth the smallest bit of money was useful. Grabbing one young woman's body by her feet he dragged the lithe form to the hole and dropped her in with a cracking sound. These noises of bones breaking and crunching soon became just another sound of the jungle after awhile. As he reached the body of a young man he stopped noticing the faintest bit of movement in the man's fingers. Dragging the man by his feet he started towards the hole but was startled as the man's eyes snapped open. Nhean released his hold on the man as if he were afraid the injured fellow was going to lunge at him.

"Please…don't kill me." The voice was croaked and pained and he sounded as if he were straining to speak. Nhean stood there and collected his thoughts staring down at the man with an expression that could read many things.

"You deserve it though and that is what I have been told. If I don't listen I will get hurt again and I can't do that." The black haired boy responded with almost the innocence of a child and yet seemingly jaded. He reached and started to drag the man back to the hole and there was little his victim could do because he was so weak. Without a second thought he dropped the man down watching his body contort, crumple, and then there was that crunch as he landed. Nhean tilted his head watching gravity take its toll and seemed fascinated by the expressions of death. Continuing on with his work he finally disposed of all twenty bodies and brushed his hands off. Resituating his gun there was a panging tightness in his stomach reminding him that he needed to eat as soon as possible. Walking with careful steps keeping his head up he ascended the slope and emerged near the building he resided in with several others. It really wasn't his intent on being in Cambodia during this time it just ended up that way. Whether he liked it or not this was his home away from home and there was no returning or running away; this was it. Going inside he realized food was limited to the fruits and vegetables from the land and whatever meat they could get their hands on that day. Nhean all but forgot what different animals he had probably eaten and all but wanted to forget given some species.

"You know my friends and I have been thinking and you don't look fully like we do." One man stated out of the blue taking a seat beside the boy. Nhean tensed momentarily and put his piece of fruit down glancing over almost warily. What were they getting at were they suddenly going to kill him out of the blue? He kept his silence and continued eating wanting to leave this conversation at a minimal at best if he could.

"Yea, you are what half something else aren't you?" Another inquired looking Nhean over.

"Japanese." He said once and placed the fruit back down wiping his hands on his pants. The man looked at each other and snickered a bit looking back at him with leering expressions. One man nudged another one whispering something that made the both of them snicker a bit

"What is your real name then huh? You called yourself Nhean but that can't be entirely accurate." The man next to him pointed out. The boy knew he was frowned at for his half Cambodian and half Japanese heritage but they did not need to rub the salt in the wound. He debated on not answering or at the very least being vague which would be his better option than keeping silent. All the more one of the man nudged him hard in the ribs glowering some at him.

"Speak." Was all the man said.

"Nagakura Tatsuo…." The boy's voice was quiet but audible enough for them all to hear. A few quirked an eyebrow at such an interesting name. Most Japanese boys and men they knew had very typical names like Taro, Shunichi, Akira, and the likes but this one had a very peculiar name tacked to him.

"So what does it mean?" One man inquired taking a bite of fruit.

"Nagakura can be written two ways. One with the kanji for long one with the kanji for eternity, my last name is written with the kanji for eternity. My first name Tatsuo is written as Dragon Boy…I blame my mother for that one." This was possibly the most any of them ever heard this boy say and some just sat there curiously looking at him. Well the boy did not seem very Dragon-like and his last name reminded them of some old samurai story from his homeland. Nhean sat there for a moment before standing up to go elsewhere and away from their prying questions. As he made his way back down to the slope he frowned some carefully making his descent downwards.

"I want to be back in Kyoto." He muttered to himself recalling a much less violent life living there. Kyoto was an ancient city that still upheld many ancient traditions and boy his mother was a stickler for tradition; at least from what he remembered. From the time he was seven he was whisked away on a 'trip' by his father and never returned home. If he had known he was going to be kidnapped there would have been no way he would get on that plane.

The sun began to set casting an eerie stillness and darkness on the area and this is when the primal animals came out to play. Still, Nhean could not leave his post and he almost hated the fact he was stuck outside like some wild animal. Did they not trust him? They knew his father so they should at least treat him with more dignity. Scowling he made the most against a rock and tried to keep his eyes opened fixated on that cluster of bushes. Tigers were nighttime creatures just as much as in the day and these tigers knew people were stalking around here. Nhean though found himself fascinated by the tiger which he never saw in real life prior to this. Such graceful, elegant and intelligent predators they truly were astounding. Their very nature dictated that they were the top predator with the best camouflage in the animal kingdom and the most frightful. He amused himself with thoughts of how difficult would it be to keep a tiger cub for a pet and then train the little guy to be strictly his own. Letting out a deep yawn he stood climbing the tree nearest him after slinging a rifle on his back. If he was going to sleep there would be nothing fruitful of waking up with his torso being chewed off his ribs. Propping the gun between two close branches he stretched his feet out and closed his eyes falling asleep far quicker than he anticipated.


	2. Chapter 2

Kyoto Prefecture

Maizuru, Japan

November 20, 1968

10:45am Chapter Two –Unwanted

Snow fell silently covering the city in a thick white blanket of purity that only winter could bring. While the air was cold and still the inside of homes were warm and alive with people talking and laughing. The upcoming Christmas season was a concept not entirely new to the Japanese but in the face of their old traditions it was a change. This Santa Claus fellow was an awfully strange man to be dressed all in red and white like that, and why was he so damn fat? At the very least the image of a man riding around pulled by caribou was actually pretty unreal. However everyone in Japan took this opportunity to do gift shopping or hang out with their sweethearts. A five year old would not be interested in these things more so they would rather play with toys. A six level apartment was home to many families in the downtown area of Maizuru near the bay. On the fifth floor down the very far left end one unit was home to a most unusual family and many neighbors always wondered about them. The father worked long hours or was away on business a lot and the mother did her best to keep her son attended to. However, on this day she was caught up cleaning and listening to a radio show barely paying attention to Tatsuo.

"Okaasan can I go outside and play?" The child asked standing near the kotetsu table in the middle of the room. His mother, Mayuko didn't even give a glance up as she waved her hand as if shooing him away from her. Tetsuo frowned and went to put his small snow boots on and winter coat looking over his shoulder. She was in the kitchen now looking like what seemed to be mopping so he opened the door and walked out into the cold. There was no wind but there was an awful lot of snow so he hurriedly went down the flights of stairs never taking the elevator. Last year a man got stuck in there for eight hours until he could be freed finally. Since then Tatsuo refused to set foot in one opting to take the long flight of stairs down instead. As his feet planted in the snow he soon realized he was up to his knees in the stuff but he smiled suddenly. It was always fun to go outside and run around when there weren't too many people around and all. He dashed off down the sidewalk towards a park near his neighborhood where the other kids were congregating at he knew. When he ran up he saw the kids running back and forth chasing each other playing tag he guessed.

"Nagakura-kun you came out today?" One girl inquired before getting pelted with a snowball. He nodded and walked over to climb up on the jungle gym getting to the top and sitting down. A few of the boys climbed up there too and sat at various places.

"Nakagura you weren't outside yesterday or the day before what happened?" One asked.

"Just things…" he answered poking at the iron bars, "Okaasan said I should stay in more and not risk getting sick." Though in truth he wasn't even sure if that was his mother's reason because she never even told him that at all. Still he had to listen to her regardless because she was his mother but today he felt like being a bit rebellious. One of the boys took out a snack he had been clutching and took a bite out of it chewing rather loudly.

"So, we're thinkin about going down to the boat docks are you game?" The kid asked with a small grin and Tatsuo returned it.

"Yea, Okaasan is so busy cleaning it isn't going to matter." He jumped down and followed the boys out of the park.

A band of four boys walking towards the docks didn't raise the alarm of many people since lots of kids were around the area. Tatsuo shuffled towards the edge where the boats were currently away from and looked over the bay. He often wondered how fun it would be to sail out like that and live life just like in those stories he read. As of right now though he was a five year old who wasn't going to be sailing out on any ships anytime soon though.

"Nagakura, come here look at this!" One of the kids was hunched over a crate that had been left partially open. The other boys crowded around a few stepped back looking scared so curiously Tetsuo walked over and looked right in. His eyes widened and he jumped back as if he were suddenly burned by something.

"That-that's a…" He managed to get out looking freaked.

"A person…? Or what was part of a person….woah…" One child was completely caught off guard and closed the lid a little bit looking at the other boys. None of them knew what to do and they mostly looked at one another with wide eyed expressions.

"We need to call the police!" One said.

"Or get rid of the person since they're half rotting." Another chimed in.

"….I'm going to go home." Tatsuo said backing up and turning to quickly get away before he got ill from the smell. As he got away from the docks and down the street he shivered and shook off the fact he just saw a rotting corpse. As afraid as he was he wondered what could have made the person die and why would someone kill the person? It was on the news a lot about how people murder people or something for whatever reason. He wasn't sure if he quite understood what this murder was but whatever it was it seemed dangerous.

The sun was setting but he barely noticed because of the cloud cover and kept his faithful trek around the city. Tatsuo stopped in front of a street vendor and could smell the Udon noodles being cooked up and it made him hungry. Now was a good time to start heading home and to see if his mother even noticed he was missing. As he approached his street he saw a familiar figure stomping towards him, very familiar, and she looked positively enraged.

"Nagakura Tatsuo you do not run off like that, at all! You are an obstinate little brat aren't you?" Mayuko quickly grabbed his wrist and walked swiftly back to the complex standing firmly infront of the elevator doors. Tatsuo squirmed and whined some trying to get away from his mother and the elevator more importantly.

"Okaasan I don't want to go on the elevator! What if it gets stuck?" He tugged again looking for anyway to weasel out of it. His mother looked down and held her grip tighter making her nails dig into his wrist a little bit.

"Don't whine it's unbecoming." She sneered. Tatsuo made a face a kin to a glare and tugged and tugged causing his mother a bit of trouble in holding on.

"I don't like it! Someone got stuck and I don't want to be in it!" He practically announced as he finally ripped away from her falling back on his rear.

"You're afraid? What is this my son is a _coward?_ Toughen up your father would be ashamed!" She reached down to grab his arm but as a split second reaction he slapped her hand away. Shocked his mother stood there long after the elevator made its bell noise to indicate the doors had opened. Tatsuo went to stand up but his mother grabbed him and shoved him in the elevator just as the doors started to close. Freaked he stood there inside the box looking around frantically and felt it was not moving yet which encouraged his fear. The boy wanted to scream and cry but knew that would encourage his mother's temperament more so he did not. Going up to the panel with the different buttons he shakily brought a finger up to the one reading five and pushed it. Somewhat jerkily the elevator moved up until that bell sound was emitted and the doors opened allowing him to walk out. There his mother was waiting with an expression he couldn't quite read at all.

"See was that so hard? You were making a fuss over something so trivial." She opened the door of their apartment and went inside, Tatsuo followed with his head down frowning the whole time. Why did his mother get like this when his father was gone? Taking his shoes and jacket off Tatsuo sullenly wandered to sit by the window feeling all that childish anger build up. His mother was so terrible and completely vindictive even though she tried to put on an act around other people. It was unfair and even at a young age as he was he was aware of it. So unfair in fact he couldn't scarcely believe no one else noticed but he knew his father had to of; hence why he was hardly there. As his mother busied herself in the kitchen Tatsuo felt his frustration peak.

"Why are you always so mean Okaasan? You always yell at me or pull me and I don't like it at all!" As any five year old would do he argued his point by the excessive shouting. Mayuko looked at him with an apathetic expression that he knew all too well.

"It's because you are never a good child and you always cause problems for me. Do you know why your father isn't around much? It's because I have you and we didn't want you but my family would have found it shameful to give you away." She spoke and articulated so coldly and matter of fact about the subject it made him feel numb just hearing it. There was no way he would cry though because then he knew he would get no sympathy from her at all.

"Otoosan leaves a lot because he doesn't like _you_ Okaasan! You're mean to everyone and you are stupid!" The best argument a child could throw up with the lack of proper vocabulary or skill to make a more prominent point.

"Shut up you little brat!" She stormed over and slapped him hard across the face which stunned and angered the boy. He saw his mother and father fight a lot and the one time he recalled his mother hit his father but, his father actually hit her back so he was certain that is what he needed to do. Flailing his small arms Tatsuo hit her in the stomach and on the legs as hard as he could while she tried to control him. He slipped away and she chased him right into the kitchen where he was wriggling and dodging her as she attempted more discipline.

"You sorry excuse for a child why did I keep you? Why! Get over here!" Mayuko reached to grab him but Tatsuo threw all this little weight into her legs knocking her off balance. The woman fell back against the counter hitting her head on the edge of it and slumped down dazed by the blow. Tatsuo meanwhile stood back away from her a little shocked about what just happened but still frightened and upset.

"Drop dead Okaasan I hate you! Just die!" Big words for a child to say but he heard these things so many times it seemed perfectly normal to him. He ran out of the kitchen and into his room leaving his mother laying against the drawers still half out of it. Jumping on his bed and laid face first in the pillow and tried to calm himself down enough to stop the ringing in his ears. Did he just hurt his own mother? It was actually an accident but she had been trying to hurt him and he had no clue what else to do other than push her. All he knew was that once she woke up she was going to be so furious with him that he knew he was in deep trouble. Without his father here though there was no where he could go and his grandparents lived in the next city over so that was impossible. Curling up in a ball he closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep hoping that his mother wouldn't bother him until morning.


End file.
